PLANNING FOR 2016 ALREADY

It is not yet Thanksgiving and I am already filling next year's calendar. We are all so busy we can't wait because every day fills up before we know it.

Lisa, head of the Community Enrichment Program at Tri-County Community College said she had to have next year's calendar turned in this month. So she and I set up two Tuesday courses, 6 - 8 p.m. for me to teach in March and another in September. Both of these classes will be for those who want to write personal stories or essays about themselves, their families or pass on the stories of their ancestors. One class will be for those who have not taken classes before and the other will be a little more advanced for those who have taken my classes in the past. 

STUDENTS IN ONE OF MY CLASSES AT TCCC

Because publishing has become so much easier with self-publishing having lost most of its taint, authors are asking how to market their books. I can't begin to tell you the number of writers who have called me to say, "I have a box of my books in my closet. Now what do I do with them?"

Of course, they should plan the marketing program before the book is published. Who is the audience they want to reach? How much travel will they be able to do to read and sign books? How well do they know how to use social media to build a network of readers? Have they published anything before? Do they have a reputation as a good writer? Do they have a big email list of prospective readers or buyers of their book?

SATURDAY CLASSES IN MAY AND AUGUST AT TCCC

I will teach a couple of Saturday afternoon, two hour classes on Publishing and Marketing next summer. One will be May 14 and one will be August 13. The fee, $25.00, is beyond reasonable. 

If you live in driving distance of Murphy, NC, you might want to consider looking into taking classes at Tri-County Community College in Cherokee County. 

TCCC is where I began taking writing classes in 1995 with Nancy Simpson. That was where I met most of my writing friends I have today. Because I took that class, I learned about the NCWN-West group of writers and the critique groups that met each month. 

Within a few counties and small towns in the far western tip of North Carolina and north Georgia, we have a writing colony made up of poets and fiction writers as well as nonfiction and memoir writers. I was introduced to them all because I signed up for a course at TCCC and took a poetry class at the John C. Campbell Folk School.

When I teach adult writers, I feel I am giving back some of the joy and happiness I was given all those years ago. I hope my students find the fulfillment I did when I began learning the craft and publishing my work.